the good and the bad
k2o4, Jan 30 2009
Good: played 1,500 hands.
bad: break even entire time till last 100 hands where I lost 3 buyins really fast.
Good: Cleared the bonus
Bad: didn't realize I'd cleared it until after getting killed in those hands, and I probably coulda quit the session break even.
Good: 4 times I got stacked were all coolers
Bad: got coolered 4 times! wtf! it's friday and I can't find any fish to donate?? god damn!
lol anyway, cashed out $1,500 which left my BR @ 4,800. My morning session ended well with me @ $5,200. Lost 1 Bi @ NL200 and 2 bi @ NL100. oh well. hopefully tomorrow goes better!
The Mental Side
k2o4, Jan 30 2009
I've really forgotten about the mental side of poker lately. When I first started playing poker I was at a retreat about buddhisim and science where grad students were presenting research projects about how meditation affected the brain. It was actually a great environment to start in, full of calm, intelligent insightful people, meditation sessions and reports about how to use my brain better. I remember thinking that I could have a huge edge in the long run if I applied the things I was learning here since poker was such a mental game and it's all about making good decisions all the time.
For the first 6 months of playing poker I actually had created a pre-session routine that included 5 minutes of meditation before I played along with doing some mantras saying stuff like "I am a good disciplined poker player" and "I will not tilt, and if I think I will tilt I will leave" and "I will make perfect decisions". I got lazy on it though, I guess cause I wasn't making much money grinding micro stakes limit cash games. At that point it was more important to learn how to play than to have a perfect mental mind state... but that's not so true, cause a good mental mind state is always +ev in poker.
Anyway after listening to the thing rnbsalsa posted it got me thinking about this again. It was funny to listen to the guy just lay out all the strategies I'd actually put together right at the beginning of my poker career. I realize that I have hit a point where I know the right decision to make at least 90% of the time, but when I'm losing it's usually cause I'm only making the right decision about 80% of the time. Not cause I don't know it, but because I'm not in the right mental state.
The last thing I wanna mention is that I had a minor downswing yesterday. Played 4 sessions and lost a small amount in every session. Today played 1 session and sat into a heater that was killed by back to back coolers vs regs, then re-initiated. Ended up losing 3 big hands as coolers (1 200bb deep) but still coming out with a 4 BI win.
hopefully I have a good friday. Haven't had one of those in a long while.
Fallout 3, L4D, GOW
k2o4, Jan 27 2009
My uncle knows I like to game so for xmas he hooked me up with 3 new games: Fall Out 3, Gears of War 1, and Left 4 Dead. So far GOW has by far taken the cake as the best new game. It's the only new game I've REALLY liked and played through till the end since COD4 Modern warfare. I can't wait till GOW2 comes out for windows vista.
After I finished that I tried L4D and was hugely disappointed. Maybe it's more fun online with 3 friends but overall it felt like a childish shooter that was insanely repetitive with no story line. Yeah, it's cool the first time the horde comes after you or you battle a witch and so on, but after that it's all the same thing over and over again - just run through the streets or a building and kill a shit load of zombies who aren't that hard to fight and even if they do start to whoop you somehow you don't die.
I guess I'm trying to say that I played L4D 2 times and don't forsee playing it again, ever.
So I moved on to Fall Out 3. I was excited since it had all these "best in show" awards quoted on the box. The thing is that I really hate RPG's cause I like to be in control during the action, and I like my skill in that point to count. I don't like when a battle suddenly becomes a turn based thing where we each choose a spell and then cast or some shit. I don't like it when it's all about your level or items. I like it when you can still stand up to tougher guys if you have enough skill, and if you level up and get good items the tough guys are just easier to beat.
The only RPG I like is Zelda, cause while you build up items and skills and hearts to make urself stronger and so on, you still can choose to do a FPS type of thing when shooting and you have full control of the sword fighting. Zelda is head and shoulders above everything else though.
Anyway, I started FO3 and it definitely had an interesting story line. A bit too overkill on the character creation (you can pick down to the type of chin you want) and I kinda rushed through assigning my SPECIAL points, but it started off well. Once I got out of the vault I was excited because I LOVE huge landscapes and freedom to do whatever the hell you want. So they've nailed it on that so far. And I do like the way they've set up lock picking and hacking - it's not just click a button to pick the lock, but very interactive and I like that.
But the one fail is the shooting. I love me a good FPS and I was hoping that FO3 was gonna mix that in, but right now it seems mediocre. Maybe when I get better guns or when I get higher skills it won't be so annoying, but right now the gun fights are really weak. First, everyone takes a million bullets to die. Second, in comparison to GOW everyone seems so stupid. No use of cover or strategy to get you, they just kinda run through the open, stand right in front of you and keep shooting. And third, the aimer sux and even when you have it right on them it misses all the damn time. They seem to want me to use this VATS system which is like their version of old school RPG turn based shit, where everything freezes and the I click on which body part I want to shoot and it tells me what % chance I have of hitting, then I say go and it starts a cinematic where I shoot, the other guy shoots back, I shoot again and so on till all the shots I queued up are done, then it goes back to first person. As far as RPG turn based shit goes it's not horribly painful, but I want to be able to hide behind cover and aim and fucking hit, and make up for lack of "leveling" with natural skill.
I think that if they combined GOW with FO3 then I'd be in heaven. Use the system for getting into cover and the same or better AI for the enemies, their version of 3rd person (GOW 3rd person looks tight, FO3 3rd person is off to the side at some weird angle and the character looks very weird), and their version of aiming. Then let FO3 handle the rest and we'd have a sexy ass shooter + a huge world to explore and develop a character in. That would pwn.
Anyway that's my rant about games.
gg twlight princess
k2o4, Jan 27 2009
my gf and I just beat it tonight after about 45 hours of play. is that fast? got all 20 hearts, but only 3 bottles, 41 poes, and 14 bugs. That stupid bottle that you have to fish for messed us up. We also beat the final castle without getting the map, lolz. Oh and we took down the cave of ordeals on our first try, but we did wait till beating everything cept the twilight palace before trying. It was intense - we went in with 2 fairy's and 1 bottle of fairys tears, 600 rupees and magic armor - and when I beat the last knight I only had 1/2 of a heart left. talk about BARELY.
that is all.
Theory on Todays 3bet
k2o4, Jan 26 2009
I remember about 1 year ago @ NL100 3betting was pretty rare and overall similar to NL50. The people who did 3bet a bit more were usually regs or maniacs. I remember beating NL100 at that time without ever making a single 4bet bluff or putting someone on a 4bet bluff. Basically a 4bet was the nuts. 3bets were usually strong and rarely bluffs. At least that's how I saw it and remember it.
Then I got HEM. At that point nearly all regs were using PT2 + PAHUD so I gained a quick advantage. The most major one - I got a 3bet stat, which is something the regs using PT2 didn't have. Till then I'd been taking notes on people and recording every time they 3bet and what position they did it from and a bunch of other shit. Then when I got 3bet I'd look in their notes to see how often it had happened. That was a pain in the ass to do. Now I had a 3bet stat on HEM and as I learned what was a high % and what was a low one, I started 4betting light.
Untill PT3 came out most people I knew were using PT2 + PAHUD and they had no idea that HEM had a 3bet stat. Then PT3 launched and lots of people upgraded and finally, all the regs had a 3bet stat. I think this had a huge affect on the games. (Also, on a kinda funny side note, I think a lot of people realized how much more stuff they could use that the old PT2 + PAHUD setup didn't give em, and when PT3 came out and sucked lots of people tried out HEM and that's what got HEM so popular.)
Anyway, ever since all the regs got a 3bet stat 4betting light has become huge. 3betting light has gone up like crazy too. Now regs @ NL100 will 3bet/4bet light all the time. It's funny cause sometimes I drop to NL50 for a stress free session and if I run into a NL100 reg down there we go right into the same old 3bet/4bet game.
I might be wrong but that's my view on what happened. I think when PT3 came out it totally changed the dynamic of reg vs reg on NL100 for sure, maybe even NL50, and things have gotten much weirder and crazier. Sakisaki was reviewing one of my sessions and we saw a like 17/14 nit reg 5bet shove on the button vs my cutoff 3bet and he had K8s. We were both surprised to see it from such a nit but it just goes to show that reg on reg has totally changed and I think it's cause of that damn 3bet stat. Fucking PT3 ruining it for those of us who had HEM first!
Oh well =)
On another note, I had my first big session in forever and won 5 BI over about 800 hands. Still wanna play at least 2 more times today so that's plenty of time to lose it all. But if I manage to keep winning I could finally break 5k. I'm at 4.9k right now and my plan for the week is to do NL100 only till friday, at which point I'll consider adding in some NL200 tables if I'm up to it. If I run well I could be close to 6k by Friday so that would pwn. Gonna hope that happens =)
Negreanu New Book
k2o4, Jan 24 2009
I got this new negreanu book that is billed as the "Super system of our age" and shit. I guess that's cause it's like Dan + a bunch of other "pro's" writing different chapters. They focused it all on NLHE though, so that's a plus. One chapter is called "Online short handed cash games" so since that's what I play I went straight to that. It was written by Paul Wasicka, which was kinda weird for me to see since we were in boyscouts together, went to the same highschool, and have lots of mutual friends. So I was hoping it would be good.
Either I'm a pro cash game player or Paul decided to hold back on the secrets, cause his chapter was short and full of general basic advice that I've heard a million times and given about half a million times. He also laid out some stuff that sounded pretty bad. Overall I finished the chapter really quickly and left it going "wtf is this BS?" cause the introduction to the book was hyping about how they were gonna blow my mind.... how this was gonna revolutionize poker... how the strategies were so profound I would need to re-read the book 3 times to understand. I can say without a doubt that Paul didn't deliver on that promise with his chapter. Serious disappointment.
I'm gonna read negreanu's chapter next since that's supposed to be the most mindblowing one, and if it's no good then I'm gonna shelve it.
Oh well, guess books just don't help at this point. Right now my coach is by far the best learning source and then DC videos come in 2nd place.
Can Not Hit
k2o4, Jan 22 2009
Last 2 days:
That's the bad beats being shown in the EV graph. The rest of the big losses have been coolers.
Oh heater, where for art thou?
/whine off
Obama Closes Gitmo
k2o4, Jan 22 2009
Yet another campaign promise delivered!
| | The Obama administration called on Thursday for the closure of Guantanamo Bay within the next year. The move will be greeted with widespread approval around the world, the end of a blotch on America's image abroad. Coming in the form of an executive order, it carries with it the power of law. |
Video of him signing
Full text of the order in spoiler:
+ Show Spoiler +
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, in order to effect the appropriate disposition of individuals currently detained by the Department of Defense at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base (Guantánamo) and promptly to close detention facilities at Guantánamo, consistent with the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States and the interests of justice, I hereby order as follows:
Section 1. Definitions. As used in this order:
(a) "Common Article 3" means Article 3 of each of the Geneva Conventions.
(b) "Geneva Conventions" means:
(i) the Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field, August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3114);
(ii) the Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea, August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3217);
(iii) the Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3316); and
(iv) the Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3516).
(c) "Individuals currently detained at Guantánamo" and "individuals covered by this order" mean individuals currently detained by the Department of Defense in facilities at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base whom the Department of Defense has ever determined to be, or treated as, enemy combatants.
Sec. 2. Findings.
(a) Over the past 7 years, approximately 800 individuals whom the Department of Defense has ever determined to be, or treated as, enemy combatants have been detained at Guantánamo. The Federal Government has moved more than 500 such detainees from Guantánamo, either by returning them to their home country
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or by releasing or transferring them to a third country. The Department of Defense has determined that a number of the individuals currently detained at Guantánamo are eligible for such transfer or release.
(b) Some individuals currently detained at Guantánamo have been there for more than 6 years, and most have been detained for at least 4 years. In view of the significant concerns raised by these detentions, both within the United States and internationally, prompt and appropriate disposition of the individuals currently detained at Guantánamo and closure of the facilities in which they are detained would further the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States and the interests of justice. Merely closing the facilities without promptly determining the appropriate disposition of the individuals detained would not adequately serve those interests. To the extent practicable, the prompt and appropriate disposition of the individuals detained at Guantánamo should precede the closure of the detention facilities at Guantánamo.
(c) The individuals currently detained at Guantánamo have the constitutional privilege of the writ of habeas corpus. Most of those individuals have filed petitions for a writ of habeas corpus in Federal court challenging the lawfulness of their detention.
(d) It is in the interests of the United States that the executive branch undertake a prompt and thorough review of the factual and legal bases for the continued detention of all individuals currently held at Guantánamo, and of whether their continued detention is in the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States and in the interests of justice. The unusual circumstances associated with detentions at Guantánamo require a comprehensive interagency review.
(e) New diplomatic efforts may result in an appropriate disposition of a substantial number of individuals currently detained at Guantánamo.
(f) Some individuals currently detained at Guantánamo may have committed offenses for which they should be prosecuted. It is in the interests of the United States to review whether and how any such individuals can and should be prosecuted.
(g) It is in the interests of the United States that the executive branch conduct a prompt and thorough review of the circumstances of the individuals currently detained at Guantánamo who have been charged with offenses before military commissions pursuant to the Military Commissions Act of 2006, Public Law 109-366, as well as of the military commission process more generally.
Sec. 3. Closure of Detention Facilities at Guantánamo. The detention facilities at Guantánamo for individuals covered by this order shall be closed as soon as practicable, and no later than 1 year from the date of this order. If any individuals covered by this order remain in detention at Guantánamo at the time of closure of those detention facilities,
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they shall be returned to their home country, released, transferred to a third country, or transferred to another
United States detention facility in a manner consistent with law and the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States.
Sec. 4. Immediate Review of All Guantánamo Detentions.
(a) Scope and Timing of Review. A review of the status of each individual currently detained at Guantánamo (Review) shall commence immediately.
(b) Review Participants. The Review shall be conducted with the full cooperation and participation of the following officials:
(1) the Attorney General, who shall coordinate the Review;
(2) the Secretary of Defense;
(3) the Secretary of State;
(4) the Secretary of Homeland Security;
(5) the Director of National Intelligence;
(6) the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and
(7) other officers or full-time or permanent part-time employees of the United States, including employees with intelligence, counterterrorism, military, and legal expertise, as determined by the Attorney General, with the concurrence of the head of the department or agency concerned.
(c) Operation of Review. The duties of the Review participants shall include the following:
(1) Consolidation of Detainee Information. The Attorney General shall, to the extent reasonably practicable, and in coordination with the other Review participants, assemble all information in the possession of the Federal Government that pertains to any individual currently detained at Guantánamo
and that is relevant to determining the proper disposition of any such individual. All executive branch departments and agencies shall promptly comply with any request of the Attorney General to provide information in their possession or control pertaining to any such individual. The Attorney General may seek further information relevant to the Review from any source.
(2) Determination of Transfer. The Review shall determine, on a rolling basis and as promptly as possible with respect to the individuals currently detained at Guantánamo, whether it is possible to transfer or release the individuals consistent with the national security and foreign policy interests
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of the United States and, if so, whether and how the Secretary of Defense may effect their transfer or release. The Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, and, as appropriate, other Review participants shall work to effect promptly the release or transfer of all individuals for whom release or transfer is possible.
(3) Determination of Prosecution. In accordance with United States law, the cases of individuals detained at Guantánamo not approved for release or transfer shall be evaluated to determine whether the Federal Government should seek to prosecute the detained individuals for any offenses they may have committed, including whether it is feasible to prosecute such individuals before a court established pursuant to Article III of the United States Constitution, and the Review participants shall in turn take the necessary and appropriate steps based on such determinations.
(4) Determination of Other Disposition. With respect to any individuals currently detained at Guantánamo whose disposition is not achieved under paragraphs (2) or (3) of this subsection, the Review shall select lawful means, consistent with the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States and the interests of justice, for the disposition of such individuals. The appropriate authorities shall promptly implement such dispositions.
(5) Consideration of Issues Relating to Transfer to the United States. The Review shall identify and consider legal, logistical, and security issues relating to the potential transfer of individuals currently detained at Guantánamo to facilities within the United States, and the Review participants shall work with the Congress on any legislation that may be appropriate.
Sec. 5. Diplomatic Efforts. The Secretary of State shall expeditiously pursue and direct such negotiations and diplomatic efforts with foreign governments as are necessary and appropriate to implement this order.
Sec. 6. Humane Standards of Confinement. No individual currently detained at Guantánamo shall be held in the custody or under the effective control of any officer, employee, or other agent of the United States Government, or at a facility owned, operated, or controlled by a department or agency of the United States, except in conformity with all applicable laws governing the conditions of such confinement, including Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions. The Secretary of Defense shall immediately undertake a review of the conditions of detention at Guantánamo to ensure full compliance with this directive. Such review shall be completed within 30 days and any necessary corrections shall be implemented immediately thereafter.
Sec. 7. Military Commissions. The Secretary of Defense shall immediately take steps sufficient to ensure that during the pendency of the Review described in section 4 of this order, no charges are sworn, or referred to a military
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commission under the Military Commissions Act of 2006 and the Rules for Military Commissions, and that all proceedings of such military commissions to which charges have been referred but in which no judgment has been rendered, and all proceedings pending in the United States Court of Military Commission Review, are halted.
Sec. 8. General Provisions.
(a) Nothing in this order shall prejudice the authority of the Secretary of Defense to determine the disposition of any detainees not covered by this order.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE,
January 22, 2009.
Obamas First Day
k2o4, Jan 21 2009
First just gonna link a vid of Obama announcing a bunch of things he's changing today. It's really good and encouraging. Check it out here. Then the rest is a re-post:
His first real day in office! I thought he kicked ass yesterday in an awesome inauguration. I've never really watched more than the swearing in but this year it was entertaining all the way through. I thought he and his family were fantastic. And it was amazing to see so many people turn out for it. Over 2 million people (and that's the underestimate) when the biggest inauguration turnout before that was 1.2 million. Comparing this with the 2004 inauguration where people were throwing tomatoes at Bush's limo during the parade to the white house is pretty crazy.
Anyway I'm back into news whoring for a bit since now we can see what he actually DOES and decide what we think of him based on that rather than on all the BS people have gotten worked up about during the president-elect period. I'm gonna keep a list today and see what happens. I'll try and put up all the articles I get the info from as well. Enjoy.
| | Done:
1) Executive orders for ethics for his staff, especially giving stricter rules in regards to lobbyists and ex-staff ability to interact with the white house.
2) Pay freeze to all top white house staff.
3) Passed 825 billion economic recovery package in the house.
4) Called and talked with leaders of Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt.
5) Executive order for freedom of information act to be even more open.
6) Drafted executive order that would shut down gitmo within 1 year and is circulating it amongst staff.
7) Ordered 120-day halt to prosecutions @ gitmo to review military commissions that are hearing the cases
8) Sent letter to all federal agencies telling them to halt any new regulations until Obama's staff can analyze em.
To be done (according to his chief off staff):
1) Meet with economic team
2) Meet with top brass from pentagon and order all us troops out of Iraq in 16 months (as he promised he would do during the campaign)
3) Order reversal of "mexico city" policy which stops federal money from going to any family planning groups that promote abortion or even refer to abortion services. |
Pretty good start imo. But like Obama said, it's not enough to fix any of the major problems and more needs to be done. But I think he's off in the right direction and I'm happy so far.
Sources:
CNN
+ Show Spoiler +
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Promising "a new era of openness in our country," President Barack Obama signed executive orders Wednesday relating to ethics guidelines for staff members of his administration.
"Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency," Obama said.
Among other things, Obama said he would issue a pay freeze for his senior staff.
The new president has also promised swift action on the beleaguered economy. House Democrats, at Obama's urging, have signed a $825 billion economic recovery package that the president says will save or create up to 4 million jobs and invest in health care, energy and education.
House Republican leaders, however, asked to meet with Obama on Thursday to offer major changes to the recovery proposal.
"The challenge as we see it is to create a plan that helps middle-class taxpayers and small businesses without wasting money or exploding our national deficit," the leaders wrote in a letter to the new president.
Rep. Paul Ryan, the top Republican on the House Budget committee, argued that the main tax provision in the Democrats' plan -- cutting payroll taxes -- was not an effective way to jump-start the economy.
House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence declined to say whether the Democrats' package would get any Republican support if it didn't change significantly.
Obama began his first full day in office with a moment of solitude in the Oval Office, reading a note from his predecessor, before making phone calls to Middle East leaders.
Obama arrived in the Oval Office and spent 10 minutes alone, reading a note left for him in the desk by outgoing President George W. Bush.
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel met with the president 10 minutes later to discuss the daily schedule, Gibbs said.
Obama called Middle East leaders, including King Abdullah of Jordan, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Gibbs said.
On Sunday, Israel and Palestinian militants declared a cease-fire after 22 days of fighting in Gaza.
First lady Michelle Obama joined her husband in the Oval Office at 9:10 a.m., shortly before the first couple departed for the National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral.
Later in the day, Obama is expected to meet with his economic team and top brass from the Pentagon. iReport.com: What do you think Obama should do first?
He plans to tell the top U.S. officers that he wants them to plan to have combat forces out of Iraq in 16 months, as he promised during his election campaign, an adviser said.
"It's something he still believes is a responsible timetable," White House adviser David Axelrod told CNN. "But they'll discuss it. Everyone agrees that we need to be on a pace to withdraw our troops, and how that will be implemented I'm sure will be something he'll discuss."
Gen. David Petraeus, whose command oversees U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, is expected to attend the meeting, CNN learned Tuesday. Petraeus, who will have just arrived from Afghanistan and Pakistan, is expected to brief Obama on the latest developments in the troubled region.
Obama's administration was already in action Tuesday, ordering a 120-day halt to prosecutions of suspected terrorists at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to review the military commissions that try them.
Papers filed at the U.S. prison camp said the request is made "in the interest of justice and at the direction of the president of the United States."
The president also is expected to order a reversal of the Bush administration's so-called "Mexico City" policy, which prohibits U.S. money from funding international family planning groups that promote abortion or provide information, counseling or referrals about abortion services.
Chief of Staff Emanuel sent a memo to all federal agencies and departments to halt consideration of pending regulations throughout the government until the new staff can examine them, White House officials told CNN.
Huffpost
+ Show Spoiler +
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's first public act in office Wednesday was to institute new limits on lobbyists in his White House and to freeze the salaries of high-paid aides, in a nod to the country's economic turmoil.
Announcing the moves while attending a ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to swear in his staff, Obama said the steps "represent a clean break from business as usual."
The pay freeze, first reported by The Associated Press, would hold salaries at their current levels for the roughly 100 White House employees who make over $100,000 a year. "Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington," said the new president, taking office amid startlingly bad economic times that many fear will grow worse.
Those affected by the freeze include the high-profile jobs of White House chief of staff, national security adviser and press secretary. Other aides who work in relative anonymity also would fit into that cap if Obama follows a structure similar to the one George W. Bush set up.
Obama's new lobbying rules will not only ban aides from trying to influence the administration when they leave his staff. Those already hired will be banned from working on matters they have previously lobbied on, or to approach agencies that they once targeted.
The rules also ban lobbyists from giving gifts of any size to any member of his administration. It wasn't immediately clear whether the ban would include the traditional "previous relationships" clause, allowing gifts from friends or associates with which an employee comes in with strong ties.
The new rules also require that anyone who leaves his administration is not allowed to try to influence former friends and colleagues for at least two years. Obama is requiring all staff to attend to an ethics briefing like one he said he attended last week.
Obama called the rules tighter "than under any other administration in history." They followed pledges during his campaign to be strict about the influence of lobbyist in his White House.
"The new rules on lobbying alone, no matter how tough, are not enough to fix a broken system in Washington," he said. "That's why I'm also setting rules that govern not just lobbyists but all those who have been selected to serve in my administration."
In an attempt to deliver on pledges of a transparent government, Obama said he would change the way the federal government interprets the Freedom of Information Act. He said he was directing agencies that vet requests for information to err on the side of making information public _ not to look for reasons to legally withhold it _ an alteration to the traditional standard of evaluation.
Just because a government agency has the legal power to keep information private does not mean that it should, Obama said. Reporters and public-interest groups often make use of the law to explore how and why government decisions were made; they are often stymied as agencies claim legal exemptions to the law.
"For a long time now, there's been too much secrecy in this city," Obama said.
He said the orders he was issuing Wednesday will not "make government as honest and transparent as it needs to be" nor go as far as he would like.
"But these historic measures do mark the beginning of a new era of openness in our country," Obama said. "And I will, I hope, do something to make government trustworthy in the eyes of the American people, in the days and weeks, months and years to come."
Obamas first day
k2o4, Jan 21 2009
His first real day in office! I thought he kicked ass yesterday in an awesome inauguration. I've never really watched more than the swearing in but this year it was entertaining all the way through. I thought he and his family were fantastic. And it was amazing to see so many people turn out for it. Over 2 million people (and that's the underestimate) when the biggest inauguration turnout before that was 1.2 million. Comparing this with the 2004 inauguration where people were throwing tomatoes at Bush's limo during the parade to the white house is pretty crazy.
Anyway I'm back into news whoring for a bit since now we can see what he actually DOES and decide what we think of him based on that rather than on all the BS people have gotten worked up about during the president-elect period. I'm gonna keep a list today and see what happens. I'll try and put up all the articles I get the info from as well. Enjoy.
| | Done:
1) Executive orders for ethics for his staff, especially giving stricter rules in regards to lobbyists and ex-staff ability to interact with the white house.
2) Pay freeze to all top white house staff.
3) Passed 825 billion economic recovery package in the house.
4) Called and talked with leaders of Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt.
5) Executive order for freedom of information act to be even more open.
6) Drafted executive order that would shut down gitmo within 1 year and is circulating it amongst staff.
7) Ordered 120-day halt to prosecutions @ gitmo to review military commissions that are hearing the cases
8) Sent letter to all federal agencies telling them to halt any new regulations until Obama's staff can analyze em.
To be done (according to his chief off staff):
1) Meet with economic team
2) Meet with top brass from pentagon and order all us troops out of Iraq in 16 months (as he promised he would do during the campaign)
3) Order reversal of "mexico city" policy which stops federal money from going to any family planning groups that promote abortion or even refer to abortion services. |
Pretty good start imo. But like Obama said, it's not enough to fix any of the major problems and more needs to be done. But I think he's off in the right direction and I'm happy so far.
Sources:
CNN
+ Show Spoiler +
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Promising "a new era of openness in our country," President Barack Obama signed executive orders Wednesday relating to ethics guidelines for staff members of his administration.
"Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency," Obama said.
Among other things, Obama said he would issue a pay freeze for his senior staff.
The new president has also promised swift action on the beleaguered economy. House Democrats, at Obama's urging, have signed a $825 billion economic recovery package that the president says will save or create up to 4 million jobs and invest in health care, energy and education.
House Republican leaders, however, asked to meet with Obama on Thursday to offer major changes to the recovery proposal.
"The challenge as we see it is to create a plan that helps middle-class taxpayers and small businesses without wasting money or exploding our national deficit," the leaders wrote in a letter to the new president.
Rep. Paul Ryan, the top Republican on the House Budget committee, argued that the main tax provision in the Democrats' plan -- cutting payroll taxes -- was not an effective way to jump-start the economy.
House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence declined to say whether the Democrats' package would get any Republican support if it didn't change significantly.
Obama began his first full day in office with a moment of solitude in the Oval Office, reading a note from his predecessor, before making phone calls to Middle East leaders.
Obama arrived in the Oval Office and spent 10 minutes alone, reading a note left for him in the desk by outgoing President George W. Bush.
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel met with the president 10 minutes later to discuss the daily schedule, Gibbs said.
Obama called Middle East leaders, including King Abdullah of Jordan, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Gibbs said.
On Sunday, Israel and Palestinian militants declared a cease-fire after 22 days of fighting in Gaza.
First lady Michelle Obama joined her husband in the Oval Office at 9:10 a.m., shortly before the first couple departed for the National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral.
Later in the day, Obama is expected to meet with his economic team and top brass from the Pentagon. iReport.com: What do you think Obama should do first?
He plans to tell the top U.S. officers that he wants them to plan to have combat forces out of Iraq in 16 months, as he promised during his election campaign, an adviser said.
"It's something he still believes is a responsible timetable," White House adviser David Axelrod told CNN. "But they'll discuss it. Everyone agrees that we need to be on a pace to withdraw our troops, and how that will be implemented I'm sure will be something he'll discuss."
Gen. David Petraeus, whose command oversees U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, is expected to attend the meeting, CNN learned Tuesday. Petraeus, who will have just arrived from Afghanistan and Pakistan, is expected to brief Obama on the latest developments in the troubled region.
Obama's administration was already in action Tuesday, ordering a 120-day halt to prosecutions of suspected terrorists at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to review the military commissions that try them.
Papers filed at the U.S. prison camp said the request is made "in the interest of justice and at the direction of the president of the United States."
The president also is expected to order a reversal of the Bush administration's so-called "Mexico City" policy, which prohibits U.S. money from funding international family planning groups that promote abortion or provide information, counseling or referrals about abortion services.
Chief of Staff Emanuel sent a memo to all federal agencies and departments to halt consideration of pending regulations throughout the government until the new staff can examine them, White House officials told CNN.
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WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's first public act in office Wednesday was to institute new limits on lobbyists in his White House and to freeze the salaries of high-paid aides, in a nod to the country's economic turmoil.
Announcing the moves while attending a ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to swear in his staff, Obama said the steps "represent a clean break from business as usual."
The pay freeze, first reported by The Associated Press, would hold salaries at their current levels for the roughly 100 White House employees who make over $100,000 a year. "Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington," said the new president, taking office amid startlingly bad economic times that many fear will grow worse.
Those affected by the freeze include the high-profile jobs of White House chief of staff, national security adviser and press secretary. Other aides who work in relative anonymity also would fit into that cap if Obama follows a structure similar to the one George W. Bush set up.
Obama's new lobbying rules will not only ban aides from trying to influence the administration when they leave his staff. Those already hired will be banned from working on matters they have previously lobbied on, or to approach agencies that they once targeted.
The rules also ban lobbyists from giving gifts of any size to any member of his administration. It wasn't immediately clear whether the ban would include the traditional "previous relationships" clause, allowing gifts from friends or associates with which an employee comes in with strong ties.
The new rules also require that anyone who leaves his administration is not allowed to try to influence former friends and colleagues for at least two years. Obama is requiring all staff to attend to an ethics briefing like one he said he attended last week.
Obama called the rules tighter "than under any other administration in history." They followed pledges during his campaign to be strict about the influence of lobbyist in his White House.
"The new rules on lobbying alone, no matter how tough, are not enough to fix a broken system in Washington," he said. "That's why I'm also setting rules that govern not just lobbyists but all those who have been selected to serve in my administration."
In an attempt to deliver on pledges of a transparent government, Obama said he would change the way the federal government interprets the Freedom of Information Act. He said he was directing agencies that vet requests for information to err on the side of making information public _ not to look for reasons to legally withhold it _ an alteration to the traditional standard of evaluation.
Just because a government agency has the legal power to keep information private does not mean that it should, Obama said. Reporters and public-interest groups often make use of the law to explore how and why government decisions were made; they are often stymied as agencies claim legal exemptions to the law.
"For a long time now, there's been too much secrecy in this city," Obama said.
He said the orders he was issuing Wednesday will not "make government as honest and transparent as it needs to be" nor go as far as he would like.
"But these historic measures do mark the beginning of a new era of openness in our country," Obama said. "And I will, I hope, do something to make government trustworthy in the eyes of the American people, in the days and weeks, months and years to come."
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